good morning, america. pope francis in america. touching down for his historic visit, greeted by president obama. >> welcome. >> cheered by thousands lining his motorcade route. a busy day ahead. stops at the white house, the national cathedral, unprecedented security every step of the way. we are there live. all the extraordinary events as they unfold starting right now on "gma." fatal flood. the powerful storm slams the southwest. raging waters overwhelming roads. a victim is swept away as another storm approaches. striking back at "empire." sean penn sues the hit show's creator for $10 million after he suggested penn is guilty of domestic violence fighting back this morning. trouble hovering for the

hottest gift this holiday season. the battle brewing over the hoverboard. could this shark be standing in the way of you getting back to the future? and we do say good morning, america and from here in new york we can feel the excitement in the air in washington. big crowds out to see the pope this morning, and, george, you're smack dab in the middle of it all. >> right here on the sth lawn. the kr0uds have been gathering for hours. everyone excited, everyone smiling. ready to greet pope francis. about 20,000 will be here when president obama greets him in about two hours from now and already there have been such memorable images on this trip. yesterday the pope touching down around 4:00 p.m. on shepherd one, his plane and going down those steps to set foot on u.s. soil for the first time in his life. the pope's never been to america before. he was greeted, of course, by

president obama who brought the whole family with him to andrews air force base and four young children chosen from catholic schools here in washington, d.c. presented the pope with flowers before my favorite image of the day yesterday, the pope does not like the trappings of power, drove off squeezed himself into that little fiat before waving good-bye to the crowds. >> pope francis with a packed schedule that includes trips to the capitol and the national mall. he is the fourth pope to visit us here in the u.s. and this is the tenth papal visit to america. he'll be the third pope to visit the white house and the first ever to address congress. we are going to have full team coverage every step of the way of this historic trip for pope francis. abc's terry moran has been traveling with the pope, starts us off on the other side of the white house on the north lawn. hey, terry. >> reporter: hey, george. the pope is going to arrive here at the white house to a lot of pomp and circumstance and pageantry for a man who we pointed out prefers simplicity

but he and president obama share a lot on their agenda and, in fact, the president is hoping the pope can boost his agenda. it was a moment to remember, the pope's plane shepherd one it's been dubbed touched down. the honor guard and the flags, the president and the vice president and their families and a crowd that let out a very american cheer. >> all: hey, hey, welcome to the usa. >> reporter: then francis stepped out removed his sue ket that before it blew away and came down the stairs to a warm greeting from president obama. >> your holiness, it is so nice to see you, welcome. we're so glad to have you. >> reporter: the crowd cheering every smile, every glance from the pontiff. and then this was pure francis. that car, a fiat 500, he

squeezed into it and promptly rolled the windows down and then set off sandwiched in that motorcade among the hulking suvs. >> this is the pope's motorcade, the little fiat going along here. >> reporter: he begins his american journey knowing full well the controversy he's creating with his progressive agenda on climate change and inequality. on board the papal plane on route to washington he came back to answer a few questions from reporters and took on the conservative critique of him when he was asked specifically about this "newsweek" cover, is the pope catholic? [ speaking a foreign language ] >> reporter: some people think i'm a bit leftist. i am certain i have not said one thing not within the doctrine. he will chart his own course and one more thing, he's generous on the flight over here, francis sent back some of the special papal lasagna he gets served and

it was good, george. >> i'll bet it was, terry. thanks very much. want to go to cecilia vega. she is out on the ellipse where the pope will have the parade, the popemobile and the crowds already gathering, cecilia. >> reporter: gathering, these guys are so excited. good morning. look at all these people. thousands already this early in the morning. i want to show you they've been sleeping out here. you got here what time? >> 5:00 p.m. >> reporter: they said it's better than black friday. if you wait for that you might wait for the pope. it's not just this, all the way across the shadow of the washington monument waiting to see pope francis in the popemobile. this crowd goes all the way down here. i asked them, it's like you are waiting to see britney spears, better, robin, it's the pope all here to catch a glimpse of pope francis. >> much better, cecilia, thank you. ironclad security in place to protect the pope and those massive crowds you see every step of the way and abc's pierre

thomas is in washington with that part of the story. good morning, pierre. >> reporter: good morning, robin. the security is unprecedented. in a couple of hours the pope and the president will greet 15,000 people on the south white house lawn. all those people had to go through magnetometers and background check, law enforcement being pushed to the limit. amtrak seeing huge crowd, tens of thousands expected to flood into the city to glimpse the pope and while he's moving around washington there's heart that heart in the mouth moment for law enforcement when he might get out of the car and touch the people. there's no specific threat. undercover officers in the crowds, s.w.a.t. teams standing by. snipers along the parade route. authorities are leaving nothing to chance, robin. >> he is the pope for the people. he likes to get out and be with people. george, o of course, is there wh you in washington. pierre, with a special guest. >> we want to get more on this now from father jim martin from "america" magazine, our expert for the pope. father jim, we saw the pope

yesterday. we're going to hear from him for the first time today at the white house. and what is the pope's core message on this trip? >> of course, the core message is the gospel. he wants to kind of proclaim jesus christ to everyone he meets and help the people meet god in a new way but i think his more specifically he might talk about income inequality and the poor which is a theme he's been highlighting and certainly the environment the theme of his encyclical and refugees and migrants a problem not only in the united states but also worldwide >> that's a progressive agenda but the pope does not fit neatly into our political categories. >> no, he doesn't. the catholic church transcends categories like liberal and conservative and certainly democrat and republican. he's preaching the gospel, what he sees to be jesus' call to care for the poor but also the earth and if that has a political bent to it i think he says to himself so be it. >> jim, what do you think the pope will enjoy most about this trip? >> that's a great question.

i think meeting people. he has said obviously he's not been in the united states before. he most gets to know a country when he meets people so i think this will be a learning experience for him too. you will see him, i believe, get progressively more and more comfortable with the united states and certainly with americans so he wants to meet part of his flock in the united states. >> when you include the trip to cuba shall the three stops here in the united states, this will be the longest papal mission. what a success for the vatican. >> success is having more people come to god and have more meet jesus christ but certainly proclaiming his message of the poor, i think through not only words but also deeds, you'll see him with the homeless in washington with prisoners in philadelphia and with schoolchildren in harlem so i think to sort of proclaim the gospel by what he does and what he says. >> thanks for that, father martin. you'll be with us on the entire trip. now back to robin. >> stay right here for the latest coverage of pope francis

here in america. but now to that deadly flash flooding overnight. powerful storms sweeping through the southwest and, ginger, i know you have your eye on it. >> over an inch and a half that did this in albuquerque, new mexico. the creek, this is one of the wettest days they've had in september. a very dry one. put that water on the desert land and the fire trucks surrounded by the water. the rescues were on. one person unfortunately found dead in one of the washes. now we're going with the flash flood watches because the moisture has moved up into another system in the plains, parts of nebraska east of omaha under a flash flood warning and more of that will move from minneapolis to north platte. we've got 1 to 2 inches. 2 to 3 inches in that red bull's-eye. flash flooding could become an issue. a whole lot more coming up. for now back to george. >> okay, race for president. "your voice, your vote" and donald trump back on late night tv last night talking to stephen colbert. also firing back against his

rivals. while ben carson is backtracking on those comments, his controversial comments he made about muslims. tom llamas tracking it all. good morning, tom. >> reporter: good morning to you. some candidates were growing in popularity earlier had stayed out of donald trump's way now sharpening their attacks. as the front-runner just gets stronger and dr. ben carson still drawing huge crowds and tells me what it would take for him to vote for a muslim to be president. >> donald trump. >> reporter: overnight donald trump taking his campaign to late night. >> you are setting the world on fire right now. >> well, we're having a lot of fun and i think we're hitting some pretty good issues. >> reporter: as trump was yucking it up. >> anybody you'd like to apologize to yourself right now? >> no. >> no? >> reporter: his rivals going after him hard. >> it might seem that donald trump's getting a little nervous, all of us will be revealed over time and under pressure. >> up to now he hasn't answered serious questions about national security and until he does there should be concerns. >> reporter: trump then slamming

rubio over immigration tweeting senator marco amnesty rubio who has worst voting record in senate just hit me on national security but i said don't go into iraq, vision. meanwhile, dr. ben carson trying to clarify what he meant when he said he would not support a muslim becoming president. >> i have subsequently said if it was a christian running for president but they wanted to impose a theocracy i would not support that either. >> why would a muslim not do that. >> traditionally islam does not separate church and state. so they obviously are going to have to do a fairly significant departure from what they traditionally do which is fine. >> reporter: now, dr. carson tells me his campaign has reached out to muslim-american groups to discuss any issues they have and, robin, if you were wondering, donald trump still hates fox news's megyn kelly calling her a lightweight on twitter and should take another vacation. >> thank you. to that scandal rocking

vokou volkswagen. the ceo is under fire as you know facing calls to resign and the company now faces countless lawsuits from angry customers. abc's david kerley has the latest. >> reporter: with the vw board holding emergency meetings its ceo apologizing again. [ speaking a foreign language ] >> reporter: its stock plummeting valued down 35% as authorities consider criminal charges with vw now admitting 11 million diesel cars were built to cheat testing. here at the emissions stations. >> pass, pass, pass, everything. starting in 2009 models vw inserted software sensed when it's hooked up for a check and the controls limiting emissions switch on and after the test the controls switched off meaning the car would perform better but would emit illegal levels of pollutant, up to 40 times higher than allowed. already some customers are

suing. ari levin bout a yet that in 2009 thinking he was being environme environmentally friendly and now feels guilty about driving his car. >> every reason that i bought the car was based on a lie that volkswagen created and advertised. >> reporter: that one of several class action lawsuits already filed. california and epa officials discovered the cheat. >> it seems remarkable that a company this big would take this kind of a risk. >> it is completely incomprehensible to me. >> reporter: the epa continues to investigate and the department of justice has criminal investigators looking at this case. that big board meeting of vw set for friday morning. don't be surprised if something happens beforehand too, robin. >> probably so, david. thank you. now amy with the morning's other top stories starting with an emotional reunion. >> that's right, robin. a michigan security consultant held captive in yemen for six months finally returned home overnight. sam farran says he paced back

and forth in his cell for ten hours every day thinking about his family. but his hope and faith kept him going. well, a scare in washington, d.c. subway. hundreds of passengers were stranded underground for more than an hour because of a power failure. they eventually had to walk a quarter mile through a dark tunnel while being guided by rescuers. service on the metro is now restored. and china's president is pledging to cooperate with the united states to fight cybercrime. he's in washington state today where he'll be touring the headquarters of microsoft and boeing. los angeles has declared a state of emergency because of the dramatic increase in the homeless population there. it's up 12% in just the last two years. city leaders are looking to spend $100 million to address the crisis. and we learned overnight sadly that yogi berra has passed away at the age of 90. we remember him not just for his hall of fame career with the

yankees but also his respected view on life and his world famous sayings known as yogiisms. a towering figure at only 5'7" he was one of the sport's most beloved icons on and off the field. >> yogi berra runs out there. >> reporter: a fierce competitor. the legendary yankees catcher a three-time mvp, 15-time all-star and holder of seven world series records. >> and playing 17 years with the yankees being in 14 world series we won 10 of them. >> but he was just as famous for his colorful off the field observation, his yogiisms. >> if you come to a fork in the road, take it. >> classic quotes like it ain't over till it's over and the future ain't what it used to be to be repeated for years to come. >> deja vu all over again as yogi berra would say. >> where do these things come from, yogi.

>> i don't even know. i don't even know i say them myself. i don't make them up. >> he died of natural causes survived by three sons and 11 grandchildren but his legacy will live on and on. we looked up some of his famous yogiisms. when you come to the fork in the road, take it. >> like he said, so simple like that. he was always about town. so charitable and an icon. >> he will be missed. >> lived a full, full life. >> absolutely. >> all right. the new promise this morning from the pharmaceutical executive behind an eye-popping price hike for a life-saving drug. we'll hear from them in just 30 seconds.

the head of the pharmaceutical company who hiked the price from $18 to $750 a pill is backing down. linsey davis has the story. >> after tremendous backlash for defiantly boosting the cost of a life-saving drug more than 4,000% overnight -- >> will you change the price? >> who. >> this morning turing's ceo martin shkreli is changing his tune. >> we have heard the public's demands and lowered the price of daraprim. >> reporter: they tanked 5% monday after he raised the price of the drug for people with compromised immune systems from $18 a pill to $750. >> there was a lot of vitriol out there targeting you, one of them, the headlines saying you

were the most-hated man in america. >> i'm not a greedy person. we have yet to decide what that price will be, but after reviewing all of our costs, we will decide to lower the piece to a point where the company makes a small and marginal profit. >> reporter: the increase got the attention of hillary clinton who called it outrageous in a tweet and laid out her plan demanding change. >> you won't have to pay more than $250 a month for covered medications. >> reporter: but shkreli says he's making a commitment to the thousands who need the drug. >> half our patients can enroll in a co-pay program and will pay no more than $20 for daraprim. a lot more ahead. sean penn taking on lee daniels, the creator of "empire," taking him on for $10 million, what daniels said about him that has the oscar winner firing back. that's just ahead. you know george, well, george has gone to washington

with the latest on the papal visit. >> that's right. down here in the south lawn of the white house. we will cover every step of pope francis' visit in the united states in just a couple of hours he'll be here with president obama and then on that parade you see the folks lining the parade route right now. what do you got? restrained driver in a motor vehicle. sir, can you hear me? two, three. just hold the bag. we need a portable x-ray, please! [ nurse ] i'm a nurse. i believe in the power of science and medicine. but i'm also human. and i believe in stacking the deck. [ female announcer ] to nurses everywhere, thank you, from johnson & johnson. [ female announcer ] to nurses everywhere, "how to save energy" wow, insulating the house made our heating bill really small.

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>> good morning. we want to get an update on the weather. here is jacqui jeras. >> beautiful day to look forward. to lots of sunshine. everything tranquil and cooperative for the events around town. our temperatures are cool to start our day. in te 60s. by 11:00, we are talking about lower 70s. by lunch time mid 70s. and warm this afternoon w 80 degrees and sunshine at 4:00. and we will have clear conditions for tomorrow as well. and near repeat of today. but added clouds over the weekend. low pressure system, could get close to us to bring us a couple of showers across the region. iffy but temperatures will cool down into the 70s. >> well, jacqui. on the commute major closure downtown near the white house and mall. southeast-southwest freeway open and george washington parkway. look at the 14th street bridge. you can continue on 14th you have to take alternate. ramp is open from third street tunnel to massachusetts avenue

but once you get to third street tunnel we continue to block two left lanes with crash clean up for folks traveling eastbound to the third street tunnel. and a crash westbound on the freeway between six and seventh street southwest. we are tied up in both directions. around the capitol beltway from springfield interchange, inner loop delays past robinson terminal toward 66. and also inner loop delays in prince george county. as you pass saint barnabas toward the woodrow wilson bridge. back to you. >> thank you. check i did the top stories. baseball legend yogi barera dead at theing age of 90. known for whit and baseball skills, he played in 14 world series and named all-star 15 times. barera most famously involved with yankees. but also played for mets and the astros. >> here is a quick run down of what is on pope frances schedule. 9:00 holiness meets with

president obama at the white house. at 11:00 papal parade starts outside of the white house and runs alongside the ellipse. and 4:30 holding the outdoor mass at the basilica. road closures around the white house lasting until at least noon. pope frances scheduled to meet at 9:00 with the president. you can get more news, traffic and weather updates on good morning washingt. on newschanel 8. hope you have a great day.

welcome back to "gma," everyone. looking live at the white house. thousands of people packing the south lawn to will committee pope francis this morning and george is with them. >> robin, pope francis waking to a glorious morning here in washington, d.c. that is appropriate. you see the sun right there on the white house, the crowds have been gathering here for hours, about 20,000 people will be here when president obama greets the pope in just a couple of hours here at 9:00 a.m. they will both speak. the national anthems for the united states and the pontifical anthem will be played and then both the pope and pope francis and the president will go inside and come back out and step on that balcony. it should be a high moment of the morning. a packed day after that, that parade around the ellipse in the washington monument and speak to

bishops at st. matthew's cathedral and huge mass, celebrate a huge mass at the basilica of the immaculate conception. >> i hope he got a good night's rest. got a busy day ahead of him. we will have live coverage of that historic meeting with the pope and president obama. all that happening all morning long and other big headlines we're following this morning, as well. president obama has declared a major disaster in california for that deadly wildfire that destroyed more than 1600 homes. the action makes federal funding available for the victims. a hearing this morning for those two texas high school football players who attacked the ref on the field. if they are found guilty they could be assigned to an alternative school or even expelled. also right now, the holiday's hottest gift, hoverboards about to hit stores but a battle is brewing and, michael, you're hovering a little close right here. >> yeah, everybody home going, boy, george has sure changed.

but, no, it's me. that is right. that's right, robin. it's the ultimate back to the future toy becoming a modern day reality but there is a war over who can sell those hoverboards and will it affect your holiday shopping? we'll find out in our "speed feed." >> something tells me you'll be on one of those this morning. >> anything is possible. now in this half hour to oscar winner sean penn slamming "empire"'s creator lee daniels with a $10 million lawsuit claiming he defamed him during an interview by comparing him to the star of that show, terrence howard, who recently admitted to hitting his first wife. abc's david wright is here with that story for us. good morning, david. >> reporter: good morning, robin. this began as a story about race and reputation, not on the campaign trail, but in hollywood. "empire" is one of the biggest hits on tv right now and the show's creator is under fire for defending his lead actor by throwing sean penn under the bus. >> mr. daniels, what -- >> reporter: this morning

"empire"'s creator lee daniels faces a $10 million lawsuit for comparing his lead actor -- >> you hear me out because your life could depend on. >> reporter: -- terrence howard who plays lucious lion. >> are you going to leave on your own. >> reporter: to other leading men who had brushes with the law. howard admitted to slapping his first wife and daniels was making the case that he's been unfairly demonized for it because he's black. howard was snubbed at the emmy awards last weekend. daniels told "the hollywood reporter." howard has done nothing different from marlon brando or sean penn and all of a sudden he's become some demon. that's a sign of the time, he said, of race and where we are in america right now. actor sean penn immediately s p slapped daniels with a defamation suit. damentss has falsely asserted and/or penn is guilty of continuing violence against women, the suit says claiming daniels' statement daming penn's standing as an actor and humanitarian.

during his simultaneous four-year marriage to madonna, there were unconfirmed reports of domestic violence. penn categorically denies them saying he has never been charged or arrested for domestic violence. 30 years later madonna and penn are now on friendly enough terms, penn seen watching admiringly from the front row of madonna's recent concert at madison square garden and as she told the crowd in brooklyn days later he even sent her a note afterwards. >> he was at my show 30 years earli earlier, and he was very upset with me for wearing a costume that was too revealing. after the show he wrote me a letter and he said he finally had my heart. >> whatever may have happened between the two 30 years ago, the point that daniels was making black actors are often held to a different standard. well, sean penn may disagree, surely this is a sore subject for him.

robin. >> thank you. for more we turn to abc's legal analyst dan abrams. we've heard in david's report sean penn says he's never been charged, never been accused, convicted or anything when it comes to domestic violence. but is this a law -- a very difficult lawsuit for him. >> this is the kind of case where sean penn probably got really angry, reads this, calls his lawyer and says, i want to sue this guy. i'm going to sue him for saying this and it's one of those cases where his lawyer should have said to him, calm down. let's figure this out. the last thing you need, sean, is all of your past coming back now and re-evaluating it. look, go back to the reports from the time of his relationship with madonna and many reports say that he was arrested for assault, that he pled guilty to a misdemeanor. the truth of those is now going to become a very important question. because there's no question this can defamatory, the question is going to be is it true? and that's going to be the tough legal question. >> what's his best argument. >> his best argument. his situation no matter what you

think about it is nothing like terrence howard. and that to say for lee daniels to say there is nothing different between sean penn and terrence howard is false. penn's team is going to say, it's simply not true that i have had anything like his situation. but you got to believe this is the kind of case where they're going to try to resolve it. i can't imagine sean penn wants to discovery, wants to go back and go through everything again and you would think that an apology from lee daniels will probably settle something like this but we'll see. >> we'll have to see but you think they'll get this settled before. >> i would think so. i would think neither of them want this lawsuit. >> all right. thank you, dan. lara. >> all right, robin, turning to you to the case of a limb boy with autism whose parents are being sued by neighbors who say the boy's a public nuisance because of his bad behavior. that battle now moving to court and abc's neal karlinsky has the story. >> reporter: this morning a california court is weighing

whether the conduct of a young boy with autism can be considered a public nuisance. >> this has never been about driving anybody out or isolation. this is always been about addressing the safety of our community. >> reporter: a lawsuit claims the 11-year-old boy's parents didn't do enough to control their son who allegedly hurt their children, some of them toddlers. the neighbors are asking for unspecified damages and an injunction requiring the parents to keep their son from attacking anyone else. >> our hope is to create an atmosphere where children can play without fear. >> reporter: the boy's family has since moved but the lawsuit continues. they didn't want to speak with reporters outside court, but in a statement to abc news described the lawsuit as a modern day witch hunt against a small disabled child and his family. in court the judge asked both sides to try to work things out with a mediator instead of a lawsuit. >> the message that the judge gave was very strong and that's that litigation like this

extensive litigation, expensive litigation like this is no way to resolve conflicts around children with disabilities. >> reporter: the judge giving them till november to find a way to get along. for "good morning america," neal karlinsky, abc news, seattle. >> and coming up here on "gma," the young football player who says his apple watch saved his life. how it helped him catch a deadly condition just in time. also ahead, the 4-year-old allegedly forced to write with his other hand because his teacher thought being lefty was evil. the investigation right now. today, 1 in 5 kids diagnosed with cancer will not survive.t. and that... is unacceptable. at st. jude children's research hospital we won't stop until no child dies from cancer. this september, please join st. jude in our fight

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about a vaccine that can help prevent shingles. we're back at 7:42 now with the teenager who says he's alive thanks to his apple watch. the high school football player came off the practice field complaining of strange back pain, shortness of breath. that's when the device gave him a vital clue. abc's t.j. holmes is here with that story. good morning, t.j. >> reporter: robin, i want men

especially young men to pay attention to this story because this kid did something a lot of us are guilty of, we ignore the physical signs that something is wrong but at least in this kid's case he was wearing a watch that could do more than tell time. at 8:00 a.m. 17-year-old paul houle jr. felt fine, 12 hours later he was in a hospital bed with liver and kidneys shutting down. >> my heart was beating fast. >> reporter: diagnosed with an acute condition caused by playing sports in the extreme heat paul and his doctors believe he's alive today all thanks to this tiny feature on his apple watch. the heart rate monitor. after practice paul went back to his room for a nap but something didn't feel right. >> i looked at my watch and my heart rate was elevated. >> reporter: it was beating at 145 beats a minute, 60 to 80 beats higher than average. >> i didn't know how extreme that was.

i was kind of joking around with my friends like i think i'm having a heart attack. >> reporter: his trainer raced him to the health center. doctors rushed to save his life. >> if i didn't have the initial push from the apple watch i could have easily fallen down and died on the field the next day. >> reporter: he only knew about the monitor feature because his father, a doctor, suggested he try it before he left for school. >> it was a catalyst for him to seek help. >> if we hasn't acted this would have quite a different ending. >> reporter: when apple ceo tim cook heard the news he called paul and offered him a new iphone and one other special opportunity. >> whenever i'm ready i have a spot into their internship program. >> oh. >> the kid is going to be okay. now the dad who is a doctor said they'll be getting apple watches from here on out, still, folk, it's not a replace many. don't think go buy an apple watch and doctor on your wrist but i refer to men and as you snow i've done this stupid thing before. we ignore the signs that

something is wrong and had he not had that watch to confirm almost that something was wrong, he might have dropped dead the next day. >> it's not just men that ignore signs. we're just as guilty. >> but i know i'm stupid. i didn't want to call anybody else stupid. >> all right, t.j., thank you. all right, coming up, everybody, that huge hoverboard war. michael is in social square with more on that. >> i got a little bit more on it, lara. this two-wheel hoverboard could be the hottest gift this holiday season. kayla -- now you're just showing off, pitting "shark tank" billionaire mark cuban against walmart and we're going to tell you why coming up so stay right there. look at you go. the only rides you'll get taken on at carmax are the ones you take yourself. but just in case that absolutely 100 percent perfect choice...

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to you to "the speed feed" and michael. hot gift for the holidays. >> i got it, everybody at that desk you're getting one. marty mcfly in "back to the future part 2" introduced the hoverboard. now a two-wheel self-balancing scooter. you know, with this scooter there are a variety of brands and among celebrities such as justin bieber and kendall jenner and walmart announced the

buzzfeed news it will have a scooter online on november 1st in time for the holidays but the thing is already a bunch of brands on the market and "shark tank" star and dallas mavericks owner mark cuban owns the global patent to one of those and told abc news that walmart is in for a nightmare if it sells any other version than his called the hoverer track. the owner of it is suing its main competitor. who knows who will win the war in time for the holidays. big wars worth a lot of money. our friend kayla is riding hers out now and making it look easy and i know -- >> it's got a motor to it. it moves -- >> according to your balance and the way you move your feet. >> like a segway without the handle. >> that looks like a death trap to me. >> i tried it. i tried it. >> dramatic reenactment of what you looked like on it. >> nope, michael is not doing it. diarrhea; i've dealt with it for years.

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>> good morning. we want to get an update on the weather. with jacqui jeras. >> good morning washington. a beautiful couple of days to look forward to. lots of sunshine. temperatures above average. we will be warm later, with high 80 degrees. and expecting mainly clear skies tonight. lows down to the 50s suburbs. 60 degrees downtown. and tomorrow a repeat of today. mostly sunny. still warm. perhaps breezier, with high of 80. weekend still a question mark. we are tracking a coastal lowked that bring us a few showers. >> quick peak at the wednesday morning commute. major delays heading to downtown this morning. we have cleared the accident activity on southeast-southwest freeway but not on the capitol beltway. live look at the inner loop from springfield interchange. accident moved to the shoulder. and we are looking at a jam going past gal laos in to maryville and done loring. inner loop delays folks from tyson corner toward american

legion bridge. and inner loop delays in prince george county. now extend all the way back to branch avenue. as you head toward 295 and the woodrow wilson bridge. and tied roosevelt bridge inbound 66, you cannot continue on to constitution avenue. you will have to make a turn and make the trip in to downtown another direction. melanie, back to you. >> here is a look at the pope frances schedule. historic meeting between his holiness and president barack obama an hour away. roads are closed around the white house right now. and expect closures to remain in place until, at least, noon. and then the pope will hop into the popemobile for a parade along the ellipse. set to start around 11:00. >> and size of relief. metro crews fixed a power outage that left people stuck in the tunnel at u street for more than an hour. problem patched last night. and of course, this morning, major crunch as people flood to see the pope.

latest for you on air and online @news8newstalk.com. you can get more news, traffic and weather updates on good morning washington. on newschanel 8. hope you have a wonderful day.

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good morning, america. it's 8:00 a.m., and the pope is right here in the u.s. a huge welcome for francis. hundreds of thousands waiting to welcome him. a lucky few set to meet him. >> puts the jitters in me. >> from the chef who will cook to the 13-year-old hours away from meeting his hero we're live from d.c. "gma" parenting alert. the 4-year-old forced to write with the other hand after an alarming letter home from his teacher about being left-handed. the mom now speaking out. the teacher is under investigatio investigation. ♪ breakfast rescue. >> this changes everything. >> from coffee to smoothies, the hack that will kick-start your morning. >> big drama on the dance floor. a ballroom bombshell as a favorite is already out, the

triple crown hero speaking out. two a-list leang ladies taking over times square. anne hathaway with robin and sofia vergara here to turn the tables on me. anything could happen as we say -- >> all: good morning, america. coffee. great crowd here in times square with us this wednesday morning. oh, hump day. i just realized it. >> hump day! >> halfway there. hey, we're going app to school with some high-tech new ways parents can keep track of their kid, making sure they get home safe from school or late at night. even when they're miles away they can figure that out. come on as parents you guys have to really appreciate -- >> you get worried. >> yes. >> lifeline for -- >> i feel like my mom would still do it to me, though is the

problem. >> mine too. mine too. but first let's go to george in washington. he's got the latest, of course, on the pope's visit. hey, george. >> hey, robin, you could not ask for a more perfect day here in washington, d.c. i'm on the south lawn of the white house of the sun is shying down. perfect temperature. happy crowd, about 20,000 people here for the meeting between the pope and the president. that's going to happen right around 9:00 a.m. the president will greet the president on the south lawn. they both will speak and greet the entire crowd from that balcony of the white house before the pope heads back for a meeting with the president and then on to that big parade around the ellipse, cecilia vega right there on the parade route on constitution avenue. >> reporter: hey, george, good morning to you. we are having so much fun out here. look at all these people. they are here and they are cheering for pope francis. they're cheering in spanish and singing. they have come from nicaragua, from michigan, from all over the place.

this is what the crowd is hoping for this morning. they discuss want to catch a glimpse of pope francis and hope that he might get out of that popemobile and actually come up close to them. george, they are ready. trust me, they are so excited out here. >> we know that is exactly what the pope loves to do. cannot wait for that. full day for the pope after that parade, he's going to go celebrate a mass with his bishops at st. matthew's cathedral downtown washington, d.c. and then a huge mass tonight at the shrine of the immaculate conception right by catholic university where he will canonize father junipero serra, 18th century franciscan, a missionary in california. big day ahead for pope francis. >> a beautiful day at that. too bad cecilia is not more excited. just all -- to amy with the morning rundown. >> all right, good morning, robin. we begin with overnight developments in the hillary clinton e-mail scandal. the fbi has now reportedly recovered personal and

work-related e-mails from the private server she used when secretary of state. no word how many. in the past she said they had been deleted. their recovery raises the possibility they could be made public. and overnight donald trump appearing on late night tv refusing to answer a question about whether he believes president obama was born in the united states. telling stephen colbert he doesn't want to talk about the subject anymore. then trump touted his plan to get mexico to build a wall along the u.s. border. new fallout from the emissions cheating scandal at volkswagen. the company's stock is plunging for a third consecutive day losing more than $26 billion in market value so far. several class action lawsuits are now in the works including one seeking a billion dollars in damages. and breaking overnight, the loss of a legend, iconic hall of fame catcher yogi berra has died at the age of 90. berra played in more world series games than any other major leaguer winning 10 of them with the yankees.

he was a three-time mvp and held seven world series records. berra was also widely known for his so-called yogiisms coining phrases like it ain't over till it's over. some college sports fans are being forced to kiss the kiss cam good-bye. the popular fixture on big screens at sports events across the country being turned off at syracuse university after complaints that some men in the crowd were too aggressive. and finally a new front in the battle for animal rights. peta has filed a lawsuit over this selfie taken by a monkey in indonesia. the group says the monkey should own the rights to the image, not the photographer who set up the camera. he walked away briefly and the filipino monkey snapped that beauty. peta wants the proceeds to benefit the monkey and his habitat but a lot believe this is a matter of public domain and so everyone should have the rights to this because i don't

believe an animal can copyright something so the law is a little -- >> i agree with that. >> unless he calls his animal lawyer and then -- >> dogs can talk according to you. >> thank you. i knew you had my back. >> monkeys can smile and we can all enjoy it. >> thank you, amy. before we go to commercial break. just want to show you this video we got. this just in. >> oh, come on. >> this is michael strahan -- >> during the break. >> trying the hovercraft. >> that's why you will never see me ride one of those hovercrafts. >> you got off that thing so quick. >> let's play it back in slo-mo. >> i thought i had it. >> i was going to call a paramedic. i thought you were having -- >> i love that nobody really -- the ladies were helping me and all the guys watching hoping i would fall. >> he's in the hall of fame. >> i was told my big feet don't help balance.

>> oh! >> oh! >> they are there's an excuse out there, everyone. >> there's more to that story. a lot more ahead. the 4-year-old who allegedly was forced to write with his other hand because his teacher -- >> what are you doing, robin. >> -- said he was evil. allergies distracting you? when your symptoms start... ...doctors recommend taking claritin every day of your allergy season. claritin provides powerful, non-drowsy, 24-hour relief for... ...fewer interruptions from the amazing things you do...

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long way from the sandlot. first game in the majors? you don't know "aarp". because this family is enjoying a cross-country baseball stadium trip they planned online at aarp travel. it's where your journey begins with inspiration, planning, booking, and hot travel tips from real pros. if you don't think seize the trip when you think aarp, then you don't know "aarp". find more surprising possibilities and get to know us at aarp.org/possibilities. now here's a look at what's ahead on the "gma morning menu." a big night on "dancing with the stars." tamar and val blowing the audience away and we hear from the couple that was unfortunately sent home and we're app to school. the new way you can make sure your kids get home safe which is important no matter where you are. plus, there's a hack for that. how to nail the perfect

breakfast on the go. all that coming up live on "gma" in times square. look at all these great people out here. good morning, america. [ cheers and applause ] "gma's morning menu" is brought to you by centrum multigummies. see gummies in a whole new light. ♪ swimming in a pool

welcome back to "gma." look at the crowds there in our nation's capital. the pope just a few minutes away from arriving at the white house. and we'll be bringing you live coverage. but right now it's time for "heat index" and this morning's hot button, a little pre-k student forced to write with his right hand. the boy's mom claims the teacher called left-handedness unlucky and sinister. the teacher under investigation and abc's mara schiavocampo has the story. >> reporter: this morning an oklahoma mom claiming her young son was forced to write with his

right. his teacher reportedly saying lefties are evil. >> show them which hand you write with. >> reporter: alicia sands says zayde has always favored his left hand but after coming home from school recently she says he suddenly started using his right. >> we were just working with his homework. i noticed he was using his right instead of his left. >> reporter: sands who is also left-handed claims after sending the teacher a note the teacher responded with a message of her own sending this article home in the boy's school folder. saying southpaws have often been considered unlucky or inauspicious and that some cultures associate lefties with the idea of wickedness. >> i thought i had read it wrong. >> reporter: sands says she complained to the school but the teacher hasn't been disciplined. >> they were supposed to fix it because that's their job and they didn't do their job. >> reporter: in a statement to abc news, oklahoma's department of education says it is investigating. adding it is deeply disturbing

if the allegations are accurate. no young child should be made to feel shame because of the hand he or she favors. the school's superintendent telling abc news overnight "we are aware of the situation and take it very seriously." we reached out to the teacher for comment but have not heard back. for now, sands is keeping zayde home from school and says he's back to using his left hand and that the teacher's insistence on using the right was just plain wrong. for "good morning america," mara schiavocampo, abc news, new york. >> you've heard that in years past. >> in the 1950s. >> but not -- >> not today. not today. in fact, i think being lefty is such an advantage in sports -- crazy. hello. >> hello. >> michael, are you out there. >> i'm right here. i was listening. i'm trying to figure out which hand i was, right or left. next up on "heat index," the dancing double elimination, one night after chaka khan was sent

home it was time for another couple to say good-bye , triple crown winner victor espinoza won't be adding another trophy to his collection. the pressure was on in the ballroom tuesday night. >> one, two, three. >> reporter: the stars stepping up their game with their second dances of the week. and a second elimination looming. ♪ tamar braxton and val chmerkovskiy stunning the judges with their spin on the charleston. ♪ taking the top spot with 25 points. >> that was the funkiest charleston i have ever seen. >> reporter: and bindi irwin on the hunt this season, she and partner derek hough wowing with their waltz but slipping into third place after their illegal lift lost them points for the top spot. >> there was something magical happening until you lifted your feet off the floor. >> reporter: fan favorite nick carter who slipped in the

standings after a ballroom mishap monday redeeping himself with a flawless foxtrot before the second elimination. >> you're back home ♪ >> reporter: but not all the home grown glory dances were, well, glorious. ♪ the judges passing on gary busey's paso doble landing him in jeopardy for the second straight night but it was victor espinoza who was sent riding off into the sunset. >> i kind of was a little bit surprised and the show is not going to be that much fun without us, right? >> reporter: the jockey partnered with karina smirnoff, burning up the dance floor with a well-received rumba tuesday but the couple ultimately falling short. smirnoff's much anticipated return to the ballroom coming to an abrupt end. >> i feel like we won because we're going to be friends for life. >> you often hear that. everyone says they'll be friends

and this does seem that way. great to have screen that back and victor gave it his all. you can see "dancing with the stars" next monday night, 8:00, 7:00 central right here on abc. but time for our series "app to school" and this morning talking safety and new apps to give parents peace of mind when their children are not around. abc's becky worley is in ridgewood, new jersey, riding the bus. good morning, becky. >> good morning, robin. good morning, everyone. it's such a throwback to be on the bus and remember that nervousness i had as a little kid getting myself home from school and now as a parent, it's even scarier. enter tracking apps. these give you the location of your loved ones and what's new here, it's not just for the yellow school bus set. late night, your college freshman walking across campus, it seems like yesterday you were holding her hand to walk her across the street. so what if she could reach out to a parent, one thousands of

miles away to safely get her from the library to the dorm. >> i feel super comfortable using it and knowing somebody is watching me as i'm walking home. >> reporter: using companion, a brand-new app, vicki novak a freshman at the university of colorado can ask her mom to virtually monitor her. >> victoria has requested that you be her companion keep an eye on her as she's on the move. >> they've got your back. >> reporter: it uses gps data to show mimi where vicki is. if something goes wrong an alert shows up. >> this phone will be notified when my headphones are pulled out, if i fall, if i start running, anything that's unusual and out of the ordinary. >> reporter: then mom can call to see if she's okay or worse case, call 911 and provide her daughter's exact location. companion is one of the slew of new personal safety avps like circle of six and lifeline response and while a team could just call a parent and talk with them on the phone while they

walked -- >> turns out a lot of the teenagers don't want to talk. they actually prefer texting and doing their thing. >> reporter: what do you say to people who think this is just an extension of helicopter parenting? >> it's not. because your child calls you. it's not me sitting there stalking her. >> reporter: when the notification comes in that vicki has arrived at her dorm, how does that make mom feel? >> the knowledge that she's reaching out to me and that she wants to show me where she is priceless. >> now, this companion app isn't just for college kids, it's really for anyone. and that's what we're seeing here is age and situation appropriate locating apps so let's talk about teens and tweens as we get off the bus here, many of them have phones. i've downloaded a locater app. this one is called life 360 and take a look at this. you've got the parent phone back in the studio and you've been

able to track my progress as i made it from the school here to the bus stop and the real power of these apps is that it will send an alert when your child walks in the door and then that is true peace of mind for working parents, so come on, kids. you can keep coming. you got it, robin, that's the good news for parents who want to know where their kids are. >> thank you, becky, very much. >> i'm texting my daughter all the time. where are you? i didn't say you could go to starbucks so that's such peace of mind. >> what polite children you're with. how they were waiting for you, becky. they didn't know if they should go. they were taught well. thanks a lot. been great having you here this week, becky. for more details on these apps and more of becky's back to school app reviews go to goodmorningamerica.com on yahoo! it is gorgeous outside. >> yes. >> that's where we find ginger. >> it is and it will be for a couple more days here. let's go ahead and talk about the forecast where it's not so

gorgeous. that is exactly what we have to bring you. right there, coastal north carolina and south carolina, that thing is going to sit out there and just kind of move slightly west, so hpc, the hydro logical -- big word, prediction center putting out what you see there, that red two to three inches through the next few days. one of the models takes it up further northeast, d.c. and philly but something we will note and check in on a little later. staying warm in thebe mostly clo with a low around 60. toorrow very similiar to today with sun and aroound 80. for the weekend, we are acking low to he southeast that may bring somome rain and cloud withh cooler highs in the

>> we are just loving in this morning. we are going to have a lot of beautiful mornings. lara, got to get some "pop". >> we do, indeed and we begin with everyone's favorite train wreck, she's anything but. emmy award winner amy schumer has reportedly just signed on the dotted line for get this, $8 million to $10 million for her book deal. her agent circulated -- what's 2 million, you know. her agent circulated the book's proposal across new york city's auction block with the hopes of locking down the best offer. bidders had to offer a worthy deal before even getting to sit down with her. she is that hot. can't wait to see what she comes up with. she has already done such great work. in great company in the book department too with tina fey, mindy kaling all of whom raked in big bucks for their books and did pay off. >> girl power. you got to love it. >> got to love it. speaking of hot -- >> thank you, robin. well said. one of tv's hottest leading

ladies is now popping into "pop news." sofia vergara is here! [ cheers and applause ] sofia. mwah. >> talking coffee. we're talking perfume. i did notice you smell glishs. >> delicious. >> the name of the perfume is love. >> yes. >> because you're in love. >> i'm in love. >> how would you describe this scent? >> it's a combination of many things. it has vanilla bean because perfumes were down -- and at the end of the night you have -- so i built in at the beginning like very fruity fresh, innocent but then by the end it's muskie and sexy. >> as the night unfolds, it's how the night unfolds like that. >> how is your beautiful lovely fiance, joe manganiello. >> he is great. he is here with me in new york. i have to leave early this morning so it was hard. >> oh. >> and well, of course, tell him we said hello.

i started my day with delicious coffee. you're in the coffee business now. >> yes, very excited. yes, yes. you have to try it. >> this is -- it's call the ninja. >> it's the ninja coffee bar. >> that's what we saw outside. >> you can do everything that you can, you know, buy at a coffee bar but you can do it in your own house. >> love it. >> it's like it's proven it works. it's amazing. i'm colombian so i know. >> the woman knows her coffee beans. >> i knew what i was doing. >> we'll talk a little later in the show, big night tonight. >> yee. >> "modern family" is back, everybody. >> whoo! >> oh, my. yes. >> you're going to love the first episode. >> oh, good. >> right now heapfully you guys will love this. sofia has agreed to play a game turning the tables on us calling say it ain't sofia. secret words and we have to guess them. >> they gave this to me. >> words associated with sofia. okay. and clues from her, we guess. >> all right.

let's go. >> go over there so you don't see this. >> you got it. >> okay. >> come on, come on. >> red hair. "modern family." >> jesse tyler ferguson. >> you win. >> like that, okay. >> very cute girl from the south. >> julie bowen. >> julie bowen is not from the south. >> i know but i love her. >> oh, that's right. that's funny. this is fun. >> hottest man -- >> joe manganiello. >> no. >> you stop cheating. hold on. dancing man, sexy man -- >> channing. >> michael strahan. >> no, in general, in general. >> strippers. >> in -- >> "magic mike." >> you win. hottest man in the world. >> joe manganiello. >> no, but -- he is what my --

>> he's your fiance. >> yes. >> okay. the thing that i'm not going to be able to have much after my wedding -- >> booze. >> no. >> after your wedding? >> after your wedding. >> oh, no, well i hope -- >> i'll have to go back to work. >> wedding cake. >> honeymoon. >> honeymoon. >> oh. >> mini-moon. >> i smell today with my -- >> perfume. >> okay. >> i don't know what to say this. very sexy show -- >> "modern family." >> no, that's not a sexy show. >> we have five seconds -- >> joe manganiello. >> i don't know. we'll tell you when we come back. >> "magic mike."

>> good morning. we want to get an update on the weather right now with jacqui jeras. >> a beautiful day to look forward on. lots of sunshine. everything tran bill and cooperative for the events around town. our temperatures are cool to start our day. in the 60s. by 11:00, we are talking lower 70s. by lunch time, today, mid 70s. and warm this afternoon. with 80 degrees and sunshine at 4:00. and we will have clear conditions for tomorrow as well. and near repeat of today. but added clouds over the weekend. low pressure system. could get close to us. to bring us a couple of showers across the region. iffy though. but temperatures will cool down into the 70s. >> well, jacqui, on the commute this morning. from spots spots, 95 northbound, crash blocks two lanes. once you get to newington, heavy and slow to the capitol beltway. look at 66. heavy and slow from prince william to fairfax county parkway. not bad closer to the beltway.

but if you are traveling on the beltway in prince george county another crash reported. this time we are on the inner loop at arena drive. and heading into downtown. we several street closures and pedestrian struck crash. for folks traveling on 17th street at independence avenue. and keep in mind we are shut down on constitution avenue. between 12th and roosevelt bridge. melanie? >> now here is a quick run down of what is on pope frances's schedule. 9:00 he meets with president obama at the white house. and at 11:00 a.m. papal parade begins outside of the white house. and at 4:30 this afternoon. the pope will hold an outdoor mass at the basilica in the northeast. >> and road closures around the white house. they are expected to last until, least, noon today. and here is a look at the papal parade route along the ellipse. latest on air and online by going to newschanel8.com. more news, traffic and weather updates all morning long on good morning washington on newschanel

8. hope you have a great

we welcome you back. beautiful, beautiful morning here in times square, first day of fall. >> first day of fall. >> the equinox. so exciting. >> many of you enjoying your breakfast right now, we hope and we have a hack for that this morning. easy ways to make your favorite breakfast foods on the go. how to perfect those pancakes and bacon and it smells so good here in times square. >> we've been smelling that all morning long. >> i am starving. >> mm-mm. and the coffee to go with it from sofia. pope francis's historic visit 0 america is touching so many lives from high school students who travelled across the countr to a very special 13-year-old named jake with an uplifting message, abc's cecilia vega has all of their stories for you.

>> reporter: the pope touching down in the u.s. to crowds of adoring fans and it begins. people journeying from across the country just to catch a glimpse of pope francis. these high school students from atlanta nominated by their teachers to make the trip to philadelphia. >> i want a selfie with the pope. >> reporter: a lucky few will get the chance to meet pope francis in person. raschad ellis bay will be cooking for the pope. >> it touches my heart. it definitely puts the jitters in me but at the end of the day i believe that it's going to be a meal that he loves. >> reporter: even the people responsible for transporting the papal delegation filled with excitement. >> there is energy. our folks are ready to work hard, play hard and pray hard this week. >> reporter: also meeting the pope in washington, d.c., 13-year-old jake edwards. >> people with autism are smart and perfectly amazing. >> reporter: an autism ambassador recently honored by

the white house for his work with local law enforcement helping them to understand autism. >> i think it's pretty cool. i want to tell him about all the great blessings that i have. >> reporter: the moment an important culmination of years of hard work. >> i can't really even put into words but i'm feeling, of course, it's pride and it is just super exciting that he gets this opportunity. >> i am excited that the pope is coming to washington, d.c. and i think he's going to help a lot of people. >> reporter: for "good morning america," cecilia vega, abc news, washington. >> ah, cecilia, thank you very much. and george is there, as well. we'll have live reports all throughout the pope's visit here to d.c., here in new york and, of course, in philadelphia, as well but now inside to lara. >> thank you so much, robin. and serg vergara with us, our celebrity guest, correspondent of the morn. so excited. tonight season seven of "modern family" begins.

the premiere and we are going to talk about that right now with you. hello, my friend. >> how are you? >> i'm blinded by the light of that diamond. >> thank you, thank you. >> "pop news" was fun, thank you for quizzing us on all -- >> who won? no one won. >> everyone wins on "gma." what was the answer to the last question? for clarity? >> i don't remember what it was. >> i can't remember either. something about a gorgeous man. >> "true blood." >> 9 other joe managaniello reference. you mentioned at the emmys the big day is in november. >> yes. >> and where are you in the planning stages? do you have the dress, do you have the bridesmaid dressings. >> i don't have the dress. i know who is making it but it's not ready. >> take your time. it's only a month or so -- >> we'll see. i'm very excited but we're almost ready. i have a great party planner, min mindy weis is who taking care of everything. i'm very detail oriented so i'm kind of like a --

>> yes. i think we call that bridezilla. >> i think i'm beyond that. i have very good memory. if you show me swatches of things, i can like in two months exactly remember but what happened with the one with the little border that had the little print, i'm like really bad. >> how is joe handling all of that? >> oh, he's a pleasure to be doing this with. he lets me do whatever i want. i show him options, of course, the options that i already want that i'm happy with. >> that's a very good trick. >> yeah. he what he's going to pick i already like. >> here are your options. it's my way, exactly. does he -- at any point did he say we should just elope. >> we did at the beginning. lease not deal with this craziness, super busy and to plan a weekend, that weekend beth be there and have a little honeymoon or something was very difficult but my family started like having, you know, like cease sures and heart attacks

and complaint, e-mails with bad words. >> because you're always with them. all the years i covered the emmys they are always there. >> they wanted a party. they needed a party. the last party i did was when i was turning 40, so it's been like four year -- three years so they wanted something. >> let's do it. so tonight, big premiere. >> yes. >> we love your tv family, your other family and have a clip you'll show us. shall we? take a look. >> next year. what about this year? >> oh, we enroll 59 least a year out and even then there's a significant waiting list. >> you're kidding? >> i'm sorry, mr. pritchett. you could try the learning barn. >> oh, yes, that sounds very nice. >> the learning barn sounds nice. >> yes, in my village only the richest kids were allowed to learn inside the barn. >> so there you go. tavis a little thing. i was prepping sofia because it is time not only for the premiere of "modern family" but also to play our game this week,

yesterday we turned the tables and we are doing it again today. it was anthony anderson and we're turning the table and you become the reporter. >> and i read. >> here we go. turning the tables. >> okay, crazy. okay. >> you were supposed to do it with me so i wouldn't look crazy. >> it was funny. so now -- i have to say my thing. >> okay. >> good morning, america. joining us now is the fabulous lara spencer, lara, thank you for coming in such an early morning. >> oh, thanks. thanks for the coffee. >> okay, lara, have you have worn many interesting outfits in this show. let's look a few of them. halloween is around the corner. what's in store for us this year? >> oh, that's -- look -- >> what is that? >> that was me -- those are just a few of my -- >> when do you have time to do all this? >> on my lunch hour. is that a problem?

no, i'm not sure what i'm going to be this year, sofia. do you have any suggestions? >> no, i don't like dressing up for halloween because i think when you're an actor you're always like in a costume so i try not to do that and i don't like everybody goes out on halloween so i try to stay home. >> oh, all right. well, i'll let you know what i end up -- >> yes, i'm sure you're going to do great. >> okay. >> well, should we turn the tables back again so that i can kick -- all right, we're turning the tables back again, thank you for that. >>ing 0, so now you're going to ask me. >> no, now i'm going to say -- now i'm going to ask evebody to watch the season premiere of "modern family" at 9:00, 8:00 central, sofia, thank you very much. >> thank you. >> you're a good interviewer too. outside to ginger. >> i know i'll be watching. so will these people out here. we're having such a nice one. this morning brand-new video in from council bluff, iowa, east of houma talking about that flash flooding. already seen some 4 to even 6 inches of rain and, of course,

that is something you'll want to avoid any travel with that flasl be mostly cleear and cool with h a low around 60. totomorrow ery simiiliar to today w with sun nd around 80. foor the weeekend, we are trackinng a low w to the southeast that may bring soe rain and clos with cooler hihs in the 70s. >> all that weather brought to you by voya financial. robin. >> thank you, ginger. now an inspirational story about the unshakable bond between a woman and her mother who descends into hoarding. marry pflum is a producer at "gma" and wrote "white dresses: a memoir of love and secrets, mothers and daughters". the secret and pain and their love. for most people white dresses signify special occasions like

weddings or first communen but for mary they represent the unbreakable bond between her and her mother ann. in her new book aptly titled "white dresses" she phrases the complicated but loving relationship with her mom. >> when i was writing the book the white dresses told the story of our lives, other collect erv life at mother and daughter. my mother taught me to love all that white represent, cleanliness, innocence, simplicity, sophistication and above all, possibilities. >> a devout catholic who for a time became a nun and celebrated teacher to mary and her older brother anthony but ann was hiding a dark secret. she was a compulsive hoarder. >> the floor surround the television was piled high with blankets, towel, plastic bags filled with this and that. the dining room was unrecognizable. >> mary says her mother's condition started spiraling out of control after the breakdown of her parents' marriage.

one that ended when mary's father revealed that he was gay. >> before he left, things were picked up. and after he left, it changed considerably. >> reporter: her mother's hoarding got so bad, mary says she wasn't even allowed in the house for the last ten years of her mother's life. >> she did not want me home. the last time i was home i was pretty horrified. >> reporter: but even as ann's hoarding was out of control, mary and her mom remained close. >> well, i could talk for hours a day about ear infection worries and the best means of combating the croup. more and more i was losing her to that house. >> reporter: when she died five years ago mary was racked by guilt and grief. >> i so wanted to save her before she died. >> what's that you got? >> reporter: today mary is a wife and mother of four young children. her youngest named piper ann in honor of her mother. >> my mother may not have had the happiest life, but it never

impeded her ability to love and to love with her whole heart and soul. >> really is a beautiful book and you at home, you never know -- back story of your colleagues. we didn't know -- >> for years and years and always just so happy and light and bright and so brave to share this story. >> there was love in the house. everything else you can tell she was a product of love. >> we live in the same neighborhood in the upper west side and always see her out with the kids. but -- >> congratulations, mary. beautiful job. >> it is. "white dresses" available right now. and anne hathaway is here live in our studio. come o ♪

♪ (vo) you can pass down a subaru forester. (dad) she's all yours. announcer: from abc 7 news, this is a breaking news alert. welcome back. awaiting the pope's arrival as he heads to the white house. we welcome our viewers from abc 7 and those of you on newschannel 8. a lot going on in washington. such an exciting day and we have you covered. larry: this is the hour we've been waiting for for months. we are right here and this is a live shot at the nunciature waiting for pope francis where

he spent the night last night. coming to pick him up. we assume that is his car or fleet of cars to take him over to the white house. we saw a shot a moment ago on newschannel 8 of the south lawn of the white house. everyone ready to welcome him. you saw a moment ago as we keep watching this live picture, father tom ferguson is with us. he pastors the good shepherd catholic church in alexander and works in the bishops officer of the diocese of arlington. father tom, we are thrilled to have you here on abc 7 -newschannel 8. as we are waiting for pope francis to come out, your thoughts on pope francis and his first visit to the u.s. fr. tom: this is an exciting day.

i've seen it in the eyes of the parishioners. you see young people on tv and schoolchildren. i even looked at the eyes of the bishops greeting pope francis at joint base interest yesterday and they were excited. it is exciting -- larry: it is exciting to have a pope visit. people joked that he has rockstar status. is there any larger, i was asking this a moment ago. is there any larger person on the globe than the pope? hold that for a moment, we will bring in jeannette reyes, who is live on the scene. what can you tell us? jeanette: the excitement is building. people have been out here for several hours, as early as 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning. they are getting more and more energized because we are minutes away from the pope possibly walking out of here. he was supposed to come out between 8:45 and 9:00.

and every5 right now time someone comes out of the vatican embassy here, they start chanting, no matter who it is. so we've had a couple close calls thinking it was him. certainly he is minutes away from coming out. i want to talk about some security measures. this whole area is surrounded by guards, the secret service and i pan over to our right. all of these cars lined up to se cure the area. this security measure has been unprecedented. to give you an example, we have not seen anything like this since the beatles came to the u.s. decades ago. there is not a specific threat that they are worried about. it is just the immeasurable consequence that we would see if something were to happen to the pope. you have to keep in mind that he is called the people's pope for reasons, he likes to mingle with parishioners and say hi, not

necessarily drive in an enclosed vehicle. he wants to make sure he can wave to them. that is something they have to keep into account when dealing with the pope. that makes it a little bit more complicated when it comes to protecting him. a live look, these are the schoolchildren waiting for several hours. it was a similar scenario yesterday as well. it looks pretty similar to all of this here. you had the schoolchildren in front of the vatican embassy as he drove up in his fiat. very unusual vehicle compared to what pope's have used in the past, not a limousine and a relatively simple car. surprise, hee the got out of the vehicle and stood out here in front of the vatican embassy for several minutes and waved at them. they were understandably so excited to get such a close up look to the pope. if you are not one of these

lucky few, you are probably a couple blocks away. this is where we were earlier morning. there are several barriers put up and that is where we are seeing may be over 150 people at this point singing songs to him in spanish and english. one popular mexican song we "la mananita" to give him a warm greeting. he's from argentina. hispanicsrtion of here, they feel a special connection because he's from argentina. this is the first pope from latin america. a lot of excitement and a special connection that they feel with him as well. we spoke with them and they were telling us this is an unprecedented experience it one of the church groups i talked to

, they are big on bringing people back to the church and making people know that they andt care about their sins they are still locked in. that is a message that resonates with the pope. he is known for reaching out to the people that are not catholic and letting them know that the church is opening their arms to them. and they can come back to the church. that is why he has been so popular. he's a pope to has done things not necessarily traditionally. even in the catholic church. it is a message that resonates with a lot of the people here, whether they are catholic or not. we are seeing a lot of people that are not necessarily very religious that are very excited and willing to wait several hours for him to come out. we know he woke up at 4:30 this morning. people were out here before then, even if the pope was sleeping just inside. we will stand by and as soon as we see him coming out we will make sure to give you a live and close-up look at the pope as he heads out for a busy day.

first meeting is with president obama at the white house. we will keep you posted. 48, he should be heading to the white house. you were mentioning the fact that he's the people's pope and he comes across as very approachable, even for those that are not necessarily highly religious. the spot, weu on saw when he arrived yesterday a lot of people wanting to bring him guess and bestow goodies. have you come across people and gifts or flowers or anything? we've seen flowers, bouquets. people hoping that they can -- one second -- his car has arrived. i will show you this while i talk. we've seen presents. we have seen people, even if they cannot hand it to him, as long as maybe they can catches havend show what they brought. because they cannot necessarily hand guests to him, they are hoping he can hear their songs they are dedicating to him. and you can see the car there,

the fiat moving into position. it has quieted down. people are waiting for the pope to walk out for the very busy morning. he is supposed to meet with the president at 9:15 today. the feeling here is almost undescribable. people are so excited. you see something that very often. it is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience, even if you are not to see someone adored by literally hundreds of millions of people who just want to catch a glimpse. it is not like they are having long conversations with him. had to see a man who has such a powerful impact on the world in such a short amount of time that is willing to step out of the comfort zone and break tradition and reach out to people. that fiat is parking and he should be coming out any minute

now for the special ceremony at the white house with the president. he also has the parade. we have diane cho there. have beenf people waiting there. it is a relatively short parade. he will be there with the pope mobile waving to the crowd. his initial departure. we know he will be coming back later on today in the afternoon at 12:45. again, hear the chants something we will be hearing pretty often throughout the day. i will send it back to you, autria. we will be on standby if we see anything pope-related. larry: we will take it back in studio. we are here with father tom ferguson. somethingrought up interesting in terms of the way he has opened the church to people, regardless of faith and where people are in their spiritual walk. in a non-condescending way.

i want to get your thoughts on that in terms of what he has met two people worldwide. fr. tom: i think pope francis has preached a message that is consistent with his predecessors but it is not the content, it is the way he has preached at that has attracted people and drawn people very much back to the church. pope john paul ii preached about mercy but he was a mystic. maybe people could not relate to his mystical prayer life. wonderfulict was a thinker and theologian but maybe he spoke in a language the average person could not quite identify with. the samecis preaches message but he uses images that the average parishioner can relate to. all three popes preach about mercy, pope francis will say to us, you should not approach the confessional like it is a torture chamber. it is a place you want to be embraced by the father like the prodigal son. he uses images that people can

relate to. that is the attractiveness of his message. all three popes have spoken about mercy. there is something about the way pope francis speaks come of the language of an ordinary person attracting attention. with confession, bringing people back to church on sunday. are renewed in their fervor and practice of the faith and it is a beautiful thing to see. looks like you see at least 100 young people there waiting for him to come out of the nunciature. they are waving their flags. with young people specifically we have seen statistics where people like to say that they are leaving the church. millennials. it seems like he's bringing them back. fr. tom: millennials any younger, high school and elementary children waiting outside the nunciature are people that the pope looks to as people who represent the hope of the church. they are looking for hope. that is what is resonating. he is coming to our country and the whole world to people

looking for a reason to hope and have joy. for millennials, for high school youth and the younger children, theypresents that, represent that for him and he represents hope and joy for them. it's an intergenerational bonding. larry: something you hit on in terms of the confessional as a torture chamber but a place to be embraced by the father. whether you are in the church or use the images of the church, oh, i got to go do this. here he comes now, pope francis. listen to the cheers as he leaves the nunciature there. [crowd cheering]

[crowd chanting] [crowd chanting "papa"]

[crowd cheering]

jummy: you are watching pope francis greeting the crowd. it is remarkable, he went right to the crowd. shaking hands and people were hugging him and giving him love. such a sight to see. jummy and father tom, the expression on his face. jummy: he looks so happy. larry: he does. it is a genuine joy when he's interacting with people. jummy: were you expecting this? fr. tom: this is what i expected. his first letter to the world was called "the joy of the gospel." he has made joy one of the themes of his pontificate. i contrast this with the way he stood outside the nunciature last night. he did not interact with the crowd, he stood outside and you could see the contemplative side of him. he was taking it in. this morning, he was up early in

prayer and spent more than an hour, just himself and god reflecting on yesterday and what lies before him today. we see the fruit of that prayer, the love of god pouring out in his heart for those people with whom he will share that love. that is what our faith is about, knowing god's love for us. he is sharing it with god's people. this is an encounter and that is what his pontificate is about, encountering others. in this encounter, sharing the love of god. that is where we find grace in god's world. jummy: i'm wondering if we can find jeannette reyes live. if you can hear us, tell us what the energy is like and how it was when the pope walked down the steps. it really is incredible to see this. to see the children, i think that is what is striking. see how excited they are. they were running from one end

of the courtyard to the other trying to get close to the pope. perhaps the most unforgettable and striking moment here is when he embraces them. he reaches out and hugs them. i do not think many of us expected for him to carry on such relatively long conversations with each person. he is talking to them, how they are doing. i see a young boy getting emotional. you got to think, years from now when they are older, to say, not that you saw the pope, but you spoke with him. you embraced him. that is truly just an experience that you almost have to see to believe. you are seeing it now. we are pretty up close. as i mentioned, he is stopping with nearly every single child talking to them, shaking their hand. i like to compare this, in terms of security to give you some perspective about how popular he is. the security has not been this

type since the beatles came decades ago. that is really just how popular the pope is. so many people are coming and security has to be tightened to make sure everything goes smoothly. you are seeing a very lucky group of schoolchildren that -- you almost think he doesn't have to go see the president because he is taking his time talking to each and every person. he did an interview with abc news, and he said it is important for me to talk to americans and meet with each of them to bring his message of mercy to them. so in a way these people are just as important as any political figure or any other popular figure that may be, because